Whispers of the Past
by DragonStorm85
Summary: Mini-fic. Through fate and circumstance, Tenten finds an unexpected link to her father's past in the aftermath of battle. But is she prepared to accept the truths that will be unearthed from such a discovery?
1. Part 1

**Character(s)**: Tenten, Hyuuga Neji; brief mentions of Haruno Sakura, Chiyo, Sasori, Tsunade, Maito Gai, Orochimaru, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Sabaku no Gaara, Rock Lee, OC: Shirou**  
Pairing(s)**: None  
**Warning(s)**: Creative license of events and making use of unknown information in the Naruto timeline**  
Disclaimer**: I own nothing but these words.**  
Note**: A two-shot during the Gaara Rescue Arc to further develop a more solidified past, mostly for Tenten. Takes place in the same universe as 'Trapped in Your Legacy' and 'Where to Start From,' respectively, with Tenten being the Sandaime's granddaughter.**  
Dedicated to**: malinear on LJ for her birthday. My polar and my balance. And the only one equally as dedicated to developing this theory/universe as me. ^^;

-x-

'_See what you can find._'

Broken rock and crumbled earth stretched out as far as the eye could see. And the young woman could not help but smirk at the sight while she cautiously made her way across the battlefield. She had to give the younger kunoichi some credit. Sakura had worked and trained hard in the three years since she had been accepted as the Hokage's apprentice. To be able to survive through all of that against the one they had called Sasori was a great accomplishment indeed. What had once been a stronghold for the notorious Akatsuki organization, locked and protected behind a five-seal barrier, was now nothing more than rubble and debris. Nothing but the aftermath of a great battle.

"I'm almost sad that I missed it," Tenten mumbled to herself.

But she had been preoccupied with her own fight against an apparition of herself, formed the moment she and her team and removed the seals to the barrier surrounding the hideout. The Akatsuki organization were more clever than they had anticipated. So it was no stroke of luck that Sakura had managed to come out of the encounter alive and functional as she was. Granted, Chiyo-sama had been there to help her, to fight alongside her against the shinobi of the Red Sand, Sasori. But even then, the prodigal puppet master and the old woman could not have created _this_ much damage on their own. No. This held the distinct mark of strength and power that the Godaime had once been known for. Still known for. A talent that the village leader had no doubt passed on to her student.

"You had your own battle to fight," her teammate muttered in response.

Pausing in her search, the young kunoichi glanced over her shoulder at the young Hyuuga prodigy and smirked at his comment. "Reading my mind again?"

"I didn't need to," came his quick, even response.

"These days, you never do," she quipped in return.

A year or so ago, she might have been jealous at the notion of being able to learn from someone as great as Tsunade, the sole female pillar of the Legendary Sannin Dynasty. But time passed and people changed. And as much as the Fifth Hokage still remained one of Tenten's most influential idols, the truth of the matter was that the young kunoichi was simply not meant to become a medic like her younger counterpart. Her perfected accuracy. Her familiarity towards any and all weapons of war. All signs pointed to Tenten's place on the battlefield as a destroyer, not a healer. And she was fine with that.

Team Gai would not be what it was -- would not have the strong bonds it did -- if she were any different.

Hopping over another crumbling boulder for a better look, she scanned over every crack and crevice in search of what little traces of clues or ideas that could be found in the debris. But aside from the shattered pieces of Sasori's last attack, she could find nothing that would give them any sort of useful information concerning the Akatsuki organization. Then again, they were foolish to think there would be anything of importance left. They were a band of notorious S-class criminals from across the five shinobi nations. Rogue ninjas who knew perfectly well how to cover their tracks. Had done so ever since they defected from their respective villages. Even with the use of Neji's Byakuugan, they would not find --

Tenten paused in her steps as a glimmer and a glint of something flashed in the corner of her eye, catching the light in just the right way to give off a questionable trigger in her senses. With only a cautionary glance in Neji's direction, she carefully stepped over the piles of rock and crumbling earth, slowly making her way towards the object.

A forehead protector.

Nothing out of the ordinary, usually, and she would have waved it off without a second thought under normal circumstances. But her eyes had caught sight of the faded symbol etched in the metal denoting the village of its origins. A swirl not all that much different from the ones stitched in every single Jounin jacket issued once a shinobi passed the required examinations to enter into the rank. -- That had always been a strong source of inquiry for her, though no one ever felt inclined to answer. -- There had only been one other she had seen in her lifetime with that same marking, though it was less faded and held the three strikes of a discharged agent scratched over the village symbol.

But surely it was just a mistake. A trick of the light playing on her vision.

Kneeling down for a closer look, she picked up the object with a shaky hand. Already, Tenten's mind was telling her that there could be no mistake. It had been years since the village had been the pride and majesty that it had once been and there were few left alive now who would remember or possess a token of its memory. After all, Uzu had been destroyed when her mother was young shinobi, alive and merely a Genin. And that had been almost twenty-five years ago. But here it was, in the flesh, so to speak, within reach of what could only be considered as a life-sized doll. Several, in fact. Only a small number of Sasori's puppets she had heard Sakura describe in her recap of the battle.

The kunoichi could only guess that it had come from one of them.

"Did you find anything?" came Neji's voice, sounding a little too close for comfort. And with a rustle of fabric, the young Hyuuga appeared beside her.

"...Nothing but broken puppets," she replied. And without much thought, the kunoichi slipped the forehead protector discreetly into the folds of her sleeve to be dealt with later. To him and his trained eyes, she would have simply appeared to be adjusting the weapon holsters the kunoichi had strapped about her body, something she had done often in the past. Or... at least Tenten hoped that would be his assumption. "Sakura and Chiyo-sama must've really did a number on this guy to have this much damage."

"They did what they needed to survive."

"Yeah... we all did," was Tenten's response. After a moment to let that thought sink in, the kunoichi turned to her companion with a weighted glance. "For the good of the village."

In a rare moment of pride -- or perhaps it was simply an act of acknowledgment -- Neji gave a nod of agreement, the faintest of smirks pulling at the thin line of the prodigy's lips. Loyalty to one's home. To one's village. It was an unspoken truth everyone lived by, a desire they all shared: To live and die in service of not just the place they were born to, but for something they believed in with the whole of their hearts. There was nothing Tenten cherished more than fighting alongside her comrades for the principle of love and hope that they had all learned to respect growing up in Konoha.

"So what do we report back to Gai-sensei?"

"The truth. That we found nothing of importance." And with that, he began walking away, intent on leaving behind this mass grave of a battle. The both of them had spent their fair share in the aftermath of a great fight. One more would make no difference. Eventually, they all began to blend into one mass field of empty shells and soulless bodies.

Normally one to follow his lead, Tenten stayed a moment longer, taking one last scan of the area to ensure that nothing was overlooked. "No clues. Nothing to link back to Orochimaru or Sasuke. Naruto's not gonna like that."

"It doesn't matter. This mission was about saving Gaara."

"At first, maybe..."

Though they appeared to be nothing more than lifeless puppets now, she could not forget that they had once been loyal shinobi as well. Who knew how long Sasori had imprisoned their bodies and forced them to do as _he_ dictated. The least she could give them was a moment. Of thought. Of respect. And as she felt the cold steel of the forehead protector pressing against her forearm under the sleeve of her shirt, perhaps of remembrance for the life they sacrificed in the name of loyalty...

Another soft rustle of the wind and she could feel his presence just outside of her personal bubble. Like a ghost constantly haunting her steps, he lingered in the background of her conscious and waited a moment longer to glance about before voicing his even-toned concern. "What is it?"

"...Nothing..." she replied softly. And with a smooth pivot on the balls of her foot, Tenten fixed her dark eyes on the ivory sheen of his with a smile. A faint one. A forced one that she knew Neji would be able to see if he was looking for it. But the kunoichi would not give the young Hyuuga the chance to call her bluff. "Come on, let's head back and report in before Lee gets worried."

There were too many questions, ones that could not be answered here. Not with so many unknown factors to consider. And as far as she was concerned, there was only one place Tenten could find them.


	2. Part 2

**Character(s)**: Tenten, Inuzuka Tsume; brief mentions of Haruno Sakura, Chiyo, Sasori, Tsunade, Sabaku no Gaara, OC: Shirou, Mei**  
Pairing(s)**: None**  
Warning(s)**: Creative license of events and making use of unknown information in the Naruto timeline**  
Disclaimer**: I own nothing but these words.**  
Note**: A two-shot during the Gaara Rescue Arc to further develop a more solidified past, mostly for Tenten. Takes place in the same universe as 'Trapped in Your Legacy' and 'Where to Start From,' respectively, with Tenten being the Sandaime's granddaughter.**  
Dedicated to**: malinear on LJ for her birthday. My polar and my balance. And the only one equally as dedicated to developing this theory/universe as me. ^^;

-x-

"Explain this."

With little care or caution for the rusted condition of the forehead protector, she tossed the worn talisman and let it clatter across the kitchen counter for the world to see. The same swirling symbol that the kunoichi had seen a thousand times on her father's hitai ate stared up at her, as if mocking Tenten with the memory of his life, of a past she hardly knew anything about save for what her mother had been willing to divulge before her untimely death. And in that instance, the young woman steeled herself for the conversation that was to come with her decision to confront the one person still alive who had known her parents best.

Quirking a brow, the usual twitch of mischief that could always be found in the corner of her mouth was gone, all thoughts of delinquency that the Inuzukas were known for gone the moment her eyes landed on the aged forehead protector and the village icon engraved in its metal plate. "...Good to see you too, Ten-chan."

"I'm sorry, but don't have time for small talk, Tsume-san," Tenten apologized, bowing her head in the proper manner to convey the sentiment, "I just want an answer."

"To what?"

The simpleness of her inquiry was so calm and contained at first that it was nearly enough to unnerve the kunoichi's own resolve. But if there was one thing Tenten knew, it was that Inuzuka Tsume was never this restricted in her actions unless for a purpose. And that meant that she was hiding something. But attempting to force or pry the answers out from her would get them nowhere.

Resting a palm on the countertop, Tenten gave a flairing gesture to the old hitai ate. "To what _this_ means."

In a flicker of movement, the elder kunoichi glanced over to where the other had indicated, but soon disregarded it as if the object held no importance. Instead, she gave a soft sigh and leaned forward in her seat, callosed fingers reaching out to smooth through Kuromaru's fur as if to calm herself. As if to stall the discussion a moment longer than necessary. But Tenten knew better. The delay was more for _her_ benefit than Tsume's. Because even with her usual levels of control, Tenten's carefully kept emotions were bleeding through the thick barriers she had set up years before.

Finally, after another instance of silence, the deeper tones of Inuzuka's voice easily filled in the empty space between them. "...It's your father's forehead protector. It means nothing."

Only a split second passed before the words registered in Tenten's mind. And then the muscles in her jaw were clenching, straining to keep the calm demeanor she fought to maintain. Tsume should have known better. The issue would not be brushed off _that_ easily. "You and I both know that it's not. He took better care of it than that." And even as she spoke, the kunoichi picked up the forehead protector from where it had landed on the counter and gently shoved the object into the other's line of view, making the trip across the kitchen in a few quick and motivated strides to where she sat. "Besides, the three slashes are missing."

Another sigh passed the elder shinobi's lips as her hands came up to take the hitai ate from Tenten's grip. "You know too much for your own good."

With a smirk, the younger kunoichi slit into a seat just on the other side of the table. "Keeps me alive."

Tsume scoffed at that, almost seeming to welcome the snark and sarcasm in light of the extreme seriousness that had settled in the room. And why not? A bit of humor would probably be needed if they were really going to discuss this matter through. "Where did you find it?"

"On the battlefield where Sakura and Chiyo-sama fought Sasori... near one of the puppets," Tenten replied, "What does it mean?"

"What makes you think it has to mean anything?"

"Because the look on your face when you first saw it. Says that you know more than you're telling me."

Another scoff of amusement. "Tch. You're just like your mother, annoying to the end."

Here, Tenten flashed the elder kunoichi a cheeky grin. "So you keep telling me."

The grin turned into a fond smile as Tsume gave a light chuckle, the wolfish quirk of her lips that the Inuzuka clan was known for shining through like a beacon. There were so few smiles and laugher these days, she had almost begun to forget what it sounded like. It was a good sound. There needed to be more of it in the village.

"Tsume-san," Tenten called softly after the moment had passed, leaning in so that the other could hear the soft plead of her voice, "Please, tell me what this means."

And much like many of the other times since Shirou's death, the head of the Inuzuka clan regarded her with a questioning look. As if there was judging much more than a simple matter of filling in the blanks or answering Tenten's curious inquiries. Those moments had always unnerved her. Because it gave the kunoichi the feeling that there was so much more than what was on the surface. Like a whole entire world of secrets were wrapped around the answers Tsume tried so hard to avoid.

Glancing at the forehead protector in her hands, Tsume took a moment to trace a thumb over the village emblem before placing it on the tabletop. And then she turned all her attention to Tenten, her voice low and almost strained as she finally gave a reply. "It means... that, given his age and skills as a puppetmaster, this Sasori character was probably part of the last raid that... that finally destroyed Uzu."

"But... that means... Suna..." Tenten started to say, the end of the sentence trailing off into nothingness as she struggled to fully understand the implications.

"There had been conflict between our villages for years -- nearly two decades -- up until that Exam. Now you know why."

"I... I don't believe..." she trailed off again.

"But keep in mind: That was a long time ago," Tsume was quick to add, "It has _no_ reflection on who they are now, got it, kid?"

"I never knew..."

"_Tenten_," Tsume called firmly, in an attempt to bring the younger woman out from her daze.

The kunoichi's head shot up, instantly locking eyes with the elder woman. And that was all that was necessary to slowly pull Tenten away from the weight of the revelation. Back into the reality of the situation. "...Right." With a shake of her head to clear her thoughts, Tenten reminded herself of the alliance between Konoha and Suna. The people of Sand back then and those who resided there now were two different entities. "I _know_ -- I mean... I just spent an entire mission trying to save their leader, and... Sasori's grandmother gave up her _life_ to revive Gaara."

But that was not the reason why she seemed so flustered.

Sighing, Tenten traced a slender finger over the outter edge of her lips and glanced across the table at the old and tattered Uzu hitai ate. And in a moment of courage -- of defeated curiosity -- she reached over and took the object into her hand. "It just makes me wonder."

"Wonder what?" Tsume asked, seeming to regard her with a mixture of worry and questioning concern.

"...What _else_ don't I know about my parents?"


End file.
